ALBUM REVIEW: Chad Valley - Young Hunger (Blessing Force)

Orignally published at Middle Boop Mag: http://www.middleboopmag.com/music/albums/chad-valley-%E2%80%93-young-hunger-blessing-force

Chad Valley is an experimental bedroom musician, and is by far the brightest light from the Oxford based creative movement Blessing Force, which his band Jonquil is also a part of. His real name is Hugo Manuel and having released two EP’s, both of which were highly celebrated in the UK and the US amongst other places, it seems a logical progression for Hugo to bless our ears with a full-length album, that goes under the title Young Hunger.

Opener ‘I Owe You This’ lends vocals from American musician Twin Shadow, the track is bursting with emotion and longing, even sounding a little like Tears for Fears but an RnB twist. ‘Fall 4 U’ is very George Michael in his ‘Careless Whisper’ era. He teamed up with synth Siren Glasser on this track, her voice as soothing as his as they both fade in and out. Spotting a trend? Young Hunger is undeniably 80’s, but in the best kind of way.

‘My Girl’ is rather cheesy , it goes: ‘If you wanna be my girl//you gotta get with my friends’, the Oxford based band Fixers’  front man features on this one, but the vocals are overly auto tuned and honestly, it’s  a little too silly. The album really does come into its own towards the end.  ‘Fathering Mothering’ features the delectable voice of Norwegian singer Anne Lise Frøkedal.  It’s perfect, delicate and encapsulating pop music.  Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (or for less of a mouth full – Orlando) is an old school friend of Hugo’s, adds a gloss of expertise on the track ‘My Life Is Complete’ makes for another standout moment.

In its most excellent parts, Young Hunger is delightful and interesting low-fi pop.  In others, it is a little too; ‘video gamey’ with too many odd little beeps and noises rattling on in the background. Chill wave seems to be the genre that Hugo has continuously had stamped onto his previous material. However, on Young Hunger he has ever so slightly curbed his infatuation with that surfer, west coast of America vibe, developing the best of that sound and melding it in with his love of 80’s synth pop.